The present invention relates to devices for securing objects such as utility racks to structures such as vehicles.
Carrying devices are often attached to the exteriors of vehicles for carrying large, bulky, or otherwise awkward objects. Examples of such objects include canoes, kayaks, surf boards, skis and poles, toboggans, snow boards, wheelchairs, bicycles, clam-shell containers for loose objects, and the like. These objects are lashed, clamped, or otherwise affixed to the carrying devices.
Common means of carrying bulky objects include racks, such as utility racks, which are mounted on the roof, side, trunk or bumper of the vehicle. Typically, these racks are removable; i.e., they are not permanently mounted on the vehicle. Vehicles usually do not have any special permanent attachment points or other devices to which a rack may be secured. In fact, owners of vehicles generally do not prefer permanent attachment points or devices because such devices detract from the vehicle's appearance when the rack is removed from the vehicle.
Roof racks are typically releasably attached by hooks or clamps to rain gutters near the edges of the vehicle roof, instead of to permanent attachment points. However, many modern vehicles employ streamlined "Aero Doors" which eliminate the rain gutters commonly found in earlier vehicles. These vehicle designs remove a convenient attachment point. As a result, specially shaped hooks which fit over the edge of the roof of the vehicle and in between the door jamb and the door of the vehicle have been developed. However, many hooks having different sizes and shapes must be provided because of the large variety of vehicle designs. Vehicle designs also change from year to year. Wholesalers and retailers thus have to maintain a large inventory of different kinds of hooks which is updated annually. This usually results in high administrative and engineering costs, and in substantial quantities of unmarketable excess inventory in various kinds of obsolete hooks.
Carriers or racks can also be attached to the trunks of vehicles. These kinds of racks typically carry wheelchairs or bicycles. Their lower position with respect to the ground makes these carriers much more convenient for persons without considerable upper body strength. Such carriers are usually anchored by at least one hook that fits around the edge of the trunk lid. Naturally, the hook must conform to the particular design of the vehicle trunk lid.
A concern of many vehicle owners is that the hooks not scratch the paint finish of the roof, trunk lids, side or bumper of the vehicle. In addition, an installed hook should not allow rain water to leak past the trunk lid or door of the vehicle. The hooks should also be tough enough to be good anchors and to offer theft resistance.
Accordingly, a need exists for a detachable anchor for attachment to structures such as vehicles which: (1) has sufficient strength to secure the carrying device to the vehicle for objects of varying loads; (2) can conform to various shapes of anchor sites on vehicles such as door jambs or the edges of trunk lids; (3) is nondestructive to the vehicle; (4) is streamlined and does not leak water under wet weather conditions; (5) is easily removed from or attached to the vehicle; (6) is inexpensive to manufacture; (7) is easily attachable to a utility rack or other carrying exists for a "universal" anchor that fits a wide variety of vehicle configurations.